Electric Car Blog

IMPORT ATION OF VEHICLES FROM USA TO SPAIN. LEGISLATION AND STEPS TO FOLLOW

Before acquired the vehicle, we must state that quite the papers are in rule. The TITLE DEED
and THE INVOICE OF PURCHASE are indispensable.

Transport from USA, container or RORO

There comes the moment to transport the vehicle. The options are two. A container, which
can delay approximately two weeks, and which cost would be in the range of the 1.500 u$ s.
The advantage is that it is possible to fill the car with another load that we want to transport.
The costs of off loading are of approximately 500 Euros. Another option is the RORO or Roll-
on/roll-off, the risk of damaging the car is minor but it is not possible to transport with any
type of load in its interior. The cost of this transport is around the 1.600 u$ s. Whether you
have elected RORO or container, probably it will be necessary to add the cost for the transport
in truck up to the port and the insurance.

To put the car in the ship that will take it to Spain, it needs, since we have said, of the title
deed of the vehicle, the invoice of purchase and the Bill of landing, a certificate where it
appears the name of the ship, where to our car travels, the shipper, the information of the car,
how much it does weigh and who is the holder to withdrawing it in destination.

Steps in Spanish port of destination

As soon as the ship comes to port, it is necessary to begin the steps in Spain. Since the first
step it is necessary to go to the customs enclosure of the port in question. The most advisable
thing in these cases is to use the services of the transporter company, that can put it in
port ground for 700 Euros having realized already the cumbersome steps of management
and manipulation, rates, office of customs, cleanliness of container, emptying of the
container, delivery of the car in the wharf and derrick for transport up to the final domicile.

So that the car, one way or another, has arrived home, but that does not mean that we can
drive it. We need to expire with different and complex steps before going out to enjoy the
road.

Die-cut, DUA and A-13

Already in the customs we can do the die-cut of the number of frame of the chassis, we need
to trace it for triplicate. A complex problem exists in this detail because the vehicles made in
USA for the American market are not in the habit of taking these embossed numbers, normally
in the American cars the number of the frame is secret and one can see it just across a little
window, with which to do the triple traced one is impossible. The Spanish legislation asks
for the trace of the relief to pencil over this one but sometimes, this is not possible. You can
obtain two answers to this dilemma, the first one I to have the numbers die-cut so that they

protrude enough to trace them, for which the local Customs where you reside can ask for a
writing requesting authorization of the cut-die, and do it in the moment, or, second, that they
allow you to take a photo of the number of frame instead of the trace of the numbers.

If everything is correct, they will deliver you the DUA. It seems that this step is complicated
and is better to do it through a customs agent, is advisable, therefore, to realize it in the
customs step, and not to have to go back with the step. In this document there appears the
value of the car, the weight and the tariff charge and, of course, of the VAT of this charge.
Another paper that we will have to obtain is the form A-13, or certificate of matriculation, in
which the trace of the frame will appear.

Matriculation

The following step is the matriculation. In the supposition of not secondhand vehicles of which
the first matriculation is requested in Spain and that are an object of import, there will have
to contribute before the Provincial Headquarters of Traffic the correspondent Documento
Único Administrativo of import (DUA) due filled by the competent Services of the Tributary
Administration.

Change of ownership of secondhand vehicles coming from an individual

In the supposition of change of ownership of secondhand vehicles, if the giver was an
individual, the operation remains subject to the Tax on Patrimonial Transmissions and Juridical
Documented Acts (in forward: ITPAJD), modality of patrimonial onerous transmissions, being
competent the office in whose circumscription takes root in the place of habitual residence
of the buyer, if this is a natural person, or in the fiscal domicile if it was a legal person, in
conformity with arranged in the article 25.2. C) .3 º of the Law 21/2001, of December 27,
which regulates the fiscal and administrative measures of the new system of financing of the
Autonomous Communities of common regime and cities with Statute of Autonomy, Applicable
in this point to the taxes yielded by virtue of arranged in the paragraph 1 of the article 19 of
the own legal text.

Change ownership of secondhand vehicles being the giver a businessman or professional

In the supposition of change of ownership of secondhand vehicles, if the giver of the vehicle
was a businessman or professional, the operation is subject to the Value-added tax (I.V.A.)
or to the I.G.I.C., for interior operations, the taxable event being located in the place where
the goods put at the disposal of the buyer, to tenor of the article 68 of the Law 37/1992, of
December 28, of the Value-added tax, as well as of the article 16.1 of the Law 20/1991, of June
7, of modification of the fiscal aspects of the Economic Fiscal Regime of Canaries. Although
the regulation of the I.V.A. and of the I.G.I.C. as well as the article 7.5 of the Remolten Text
of the Tax about Patrimonial Transmissions and Juridical Documented Acts, approved by the
Legislative Royal decree 1/1993, of September 24, establish the absolute incompatibility of
those tributary figures with the modality of patrimonial onerous transmissions of the ITPAJD
the above mentioned transmission stays does not hold the ITPAJD.

Steps of matriculation

Green plates. They are the before ones to the definitive matriculation. With them it is possible
to extract the car of the customs to take step of review and realize of (obligatory) ITV. They
are necessary also at the moment of obtaining insurance for the vehicle, without them this will
become impossible.

To obtain them, there will be necessary to go to traffic with all the forms obtained till now,
plus the receipt of payment of the tax of traffic and the specification sheet of the car. This one
is obtained on having done the ITV.

With green plates it is possible to circulate transitorily along the Spanish territory with a
suitable insurance.

For the definitive matriculation it is necessary to come to the pertinent offices of Traffic with
all the papers proceeded up to the moment, to these there will be necessary to add the Form
of liquidation of the Tax of Matriculation of Vehicles to Engine and the Specification sheet
obtained in the ITV or in his fault the limited one.

We need to authorize our car if we do not have the COC. For it, we need to obtain a national
document equivalent to the COC and this one would be the Limited Specification sheet. It is
preceded in the places of review ITV that have a collegiate engineer.

It depends on the model of imported car, that it can be necessary to do changes in the lights.
In the back, the indicators must never be yellow, but red. You must put off the position light
that ignites for extension, since now it is yellow, and on having had the given position lights,
would take to itself always a yellow flushed light. Front lights must not have major problems,
but it depends on the exigency of your particular ITV center.

Tax of Patrimonial Transmissions (ITP) and Juridical Documented Acts (AJD)

“Tax that burdens the transfers of property between individuals. Only we must pay it if the
purchase has been done to an individual by means of a contract deprived of dealing, and not in
a concessionaire or in a deal by means of an invoice. If we have invoice, so much with VAT since
without it (TTC) we must not pay the ITP/AJD. “